


Only Love

by flintxwood



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Coming Out, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 18:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8068099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flintxwood/pseuds/flintxwood
Summary: Albus doesn't have much interest in girls and he doesn't feel like he needs to, he has Scorpius and he's more than enough for him.





	

The snow covered grounds of Hogwarts was almost as stark white as Scorpius’s hair. Albus and Scorpius were dressed in their Slytherin robes with their matching scarfs over their mouths and noses, in an attempt to keep them warm. The grounds weren’t too crowded, since it was the weekend many students travelled to Hogsmeade; save for the students too young to travel down. 

Not many words were exchanged between the two sixth years, always enjoying a comfortable silence with their best friend. The other’s presence was enough for both of them. They received a few side looks every now and then. They were used to it at this point, Albus being the son of Harry Potter, and both of them being infamous for their time travel journey. Both still laughed about it, how their reckless actions became a legend. It would most likely be seen as a myth in a few decades, when they’re long gone from the walls of the castle and memories of the school faded. 

“Do you think some people still think I’m Voldemort’s son?” Scorpius asked, his voice slightly muffled as the snow crunched beneath their feet.

“You still hung up on that?” Albus chuckled. “Most know it was Delphi at this point.”

“They could think he had two kids.”

“Shut up, you git. Who cares what they think?”

“I do.” he replied, looking down at his feet, watching his feet leave imprints in the powdery snow. 

Albus’s look softened. “Okay, yeah it sucks. I get you still get shit for it. They’re all twats, you know.”

Scorpius nodded. “I know.”

They fell into silence again, deciding to sit on one of the benches, brushing off the snow before they sat. Most days went like this, when they weren’t studying in the dorm room, or sitting in the Slytherin common room. People found it strange that they were so comfortable exchanging to little words but both would more than happily sit in silence together than have a conversation with another student. It had been like this since they met. With the rumours about Scorpius and everyone’s shock over Albus, the son of the boy who lived, being sorted into Slytherin. Back then, that had been Albus’s biggest fear but thanks to it he was able to stick to Scorpius, and with their less than stellar reputations they found comfort in each other. Sure, they got along with other Slytherins, as well as Albus’s Gryffindor siblings and cousins. But aside from them, they stuck together like magnets. It was how they liked it and how they wanted to keep it. Albus gently bumped his knee against Scorpius, receiving a gentle bump in return. 

“Are you excited for the school holidays?” Scorpius asked, finally breaking the silence between them. 

Albus shrugged. “Yes and no. Yes because it’ll be nice to see my family.”

“And the no?”

“I’m away from you.”

Even though the scarf was blocking half his face, Albus could tell Scorpius beamed at that. Albus saying things like that always made Scorpius feel important; terms of endearment weren’t common of Albus so knowing there was no shortage of affection towards him from his best friend always made him feel important. 

“Well, I’ll miss you too, for the record.”

“I didn’t exactly say I’d miss you.”

“It was close enough.”

Albus was really thankful his scarf concealed most of his grin, and cleared his throat. “So, I might be asking out Juliet.”

“Really?” Scorpius asked, cocking his head to the side. 

“You don’t have to look so surprised.”

“I mean, she’s a Ravenclaw. She might turn her nose up at you.”

“Thanks for the words of encouragement, mate.”

“No, I mean, she doesn’t even talk to you.”

“I mean, I think I fancy her. I think,” he replied. “Emphasis on think.”

“Why?”

“Why do I fancy her or why the emphasis on ‘think’.”

“Both.”

“Um,” he bit his lip, feeling the material of his scarf as he did. He was, again, grateful for the concealment the scarf provided. “Well, she is nice to me in Potions when we got paired up – thanks for being sick by the way.”

“Your welcome,” Scorpius replied, and Albus could tell he was smiling big. Albus realised he didn’t catch the sarcasm.

“That’s not… never mind. We got along okay, and I guess we’d make an okay couple. If I had to choose I guess. I don’t have many options.”

“It’s because you hang out with me,” Scorpius replied, looking at his lap. “Sorry.”

“Scorp, I choose to spend time with you,” Albus assured, reaching over to squeeze his best friend’s shoulder. “If people don’t like that they can get fucked.” It felt like he’d told Scorpius this a million times. He wanted Scorpius to know that he didn’t view him as an inconvenience. Out of everyone in the world, he’d always choose to be around Scorpius. Even with James, Lily, and his large amount of cousins to consider, he’d always choose the Malfoy boy. 

He felt Scorpius’s hand over his, as he took it away from his shoulder. He set it down in the space between them but he didn’t let go immediately, first saying, “Thanks Albus,” and gave it a squeeze before he let go. Albus stared at his hand for a moment, and he suddenly wished he could’ve felt his skin against Scorpius’s instead, not with mittens between the two of them. 

He cleared his throat, before continuing. “So… speaking of girls, were you ever going to ask out Rose again?” 

Albus could see Scorpius’s flush creep from under the scarf, and he knew it wasn’t from the cold. “Uh, no. It was a silly crush and I’m over it. Plus, she’s your cousin.”

“Well, thanks for keeping me in mind. But remember, my dad is my uncle Ron’s best friend, and apparently he was okay with my dad and my mum when he found out. But thanks. For like, keeping me in mind like that.”

“Like I said, I’m over it.”

“Is there someone you fancy?”

Scorpius seemed to go even redder before he replied, “No.”

Albus had become a master of Scorpius Malfoy after so many years of friendship. He knew that ‘no’ wasn’t genuine and he was hiding something. But he’d also learnt that Scorpius needed time and it was better to not force it out of him. So, Albus simply nodded. “That’s cool, want to go back to the common room?”

Scorpius nodded and they walked back to the castle, falling back into silence. 

…

Albus decided to go through with asking out Juliet, however being so inexperienced he had to do something he dreaded more than anything; ask his brother for advice. 

He found James sitting with a few other seventh year Gryffindor students. Their conversation seemed to be very animated and they were laughing at something James had said. When he was younger, Albus always felt a tug of envy at that sort of sight. He knew James was everything expected of a Potter: charismatic, popular, and in Gryffindor. However, he no longer cared. He felt the roll of a Slytherin fit his personality well, and he had Scorpius. He didn’t need multiple friends he’d likely never see again after Hogwarts. 

He walked up to the group and simply said to James, “Hey, I need to ask you something. In private.”

James nodded and turned to his friends. “See you guys later, baby brother needs me,” and he stood up and strode to his brother’s side. They walked to a less crowded spot and Albus turned to his brother. 

“So what’s up?” James asked.

“Uh… girl advice,” he replied. 

James stared at him for a moment, as if he was surprised to hear anything about girls from his younger brother. Albus came to the conclusion it was because he’d never brought up girls before. 

“What advice do you want then?” James asked, shaking off his surprise.

“I want to ask out this Ravenclaw girl, Juliet,” he explained. 

“So you fancy her?” Albus expected the question to come out in a more teasing tone but it didn’t; it was like his brother was truly trying to figure out if his brother well and truly fancied a girl, like it was a shock to him. 

“I think… I mean, she was nice when I paired with her in Potions since Scorpius was sick. And I do think she’s pretty.”

“Oh,” James nodded. “Okay, uh I guess just go for it. Just approach her and ask.”

“That’s it?” Albus asked. “That’s the best advice you have?”

“Well, if she likes you she’ll say yes. If she doesn’t, then she doesn’t. That’s all there really is to it.” 

“Oh,” Albus stared at his brother for a moment. “Okay, thanks.”

James nodded slowly. “Uh hu,” he replied. He was still acting weird and Albus couldn’t think of any reason why his brother would act like that.

“Why are you acting so surprised?” 

James looked at him for a moment before replying. “I don’t know, you’ve just never mentioned girls to me before.”

“And?”

“And nothing, I’m just caught off guard.” 

“Oh,” Albus replied. Albus wasn’t the best at reading people, unless it was Scorpius, but he could tell there was another layer to James’s statement. But whatever it was James clearly wasn’t going to tell him. 

“See you around,” James said and returned to his Gryffindor friends. Albus watched as he returned, naturally jumping back into the conversation, his fellow Gryffindors grinning at the eldest Potter. The simple sight made him want to go find Scorpius, who he knew was in their dorm room. However, he had told Scorpius he was going out to ask out Juliet. Even though his best friend had smiled at him for that he could tell there was another layer. There seemed to be another layer to everything nowadays.

He found Juliet in the courtyard with other female Ravenclaws in their year. He took a deep breath, watching his frosty breath as he exhaled as he approached her. 

“Hi,” he said, his voice coming out higher than he would’ve liked. 

“Oh, hey Albus,” it was a girl named Evelyn who spoke. The girls did seem surprised why the Slytherin boy had come up to them. 

Albus kept his eyes on Juliet. “Uh, hey Juliet,” his voice was still small. He tried to swallow it away.

“Uh, hey Albus?” it came out as a question, she was clearly confused why he’d approached the group. 

“I wanted to ask you something. In private.”

Previously, when a guy would say this to a girl her friends would giggle behind their hands and smile as the questioned girl blushed and followed. However, all four girls looked confused. Not in a way that implied they were confused what he was asking, but more why he was asking. It was similar to James’s reaction, Albus noticed.

“Uh… okay.” She stood up and followed Albus until they were out of hearing rang of the three Ravenclaw girls. 

“So…” he began turning to look at Juliet.

“So?” she prompted. 

“Did you… uh did you want to go out to the Three Broomsticks with me this weekend?”

She stared at him, like really stared at him. She was no doubt surprised by the question. “You’re… you’re serious?” she asked, her brown eyes staring at him. Albus couldn’t tell if she was even blushing since her skin was so dark.

“Yes?” he didn’t mean for it to come out as a question, and it was times like this he wished he had James’s confidence. 

“I… uh… sorry, no,” she said. 

“No?” He stared at her. 

“I… I thought…” she hesitated, biting her lip, like the question was territory she didn’t want to enter.

“Thought what?”

“Nothing, I’m just surprised to hear you like me like that.” 

“Why?”

“We’ve never really talked,” she said. But there was another layer to it. Why did everything today have layers and why was no one telling him what they were?

“Oh, okay.”

“I mean, you’re great!” she said quickly. “It’s just… I don’t see you that way.”

“Oh.”

She nodded, and looked down. “Sorry,” she said quietly.

“It’s fine.” And strangely, it was. As she walked back to her friends, Albus stood there for a moment thinking. He wasn’t hurt by the rejection. It didn’t upset him she didn’t like him. Maybe he was wrong about liking her after all.

All he could think about was being with Scorpius.

…

Scorpius was the only one in the dorm room when Albus walked in. He was reading the gigantic History of Magic textbook on his bed, engrossed in the words he was reading.

“Hey, nerd,” he said affectionately, getting his friend’s attention. 

Scorpius looked up at his friend, setting aside his book. “How’d it go?”

Albus shrugged. “She said no.”

“Oh,” Scorpius replied. “That sucks.”

“I don’t think I care too much,” he said. “I mean… I guess I didn’t like her as much as I thought I did.” He sat on Scorpius bed and laid down to rest his head on Scorpius’s lap. “I’m free this weekend by the way. We could go to Hogsmeade.”

Scorpius smiled down at him and played with Albus’s hair. “Sure, that’ll be fun.”

“You know what was funny? I asked James for advice and he seemed surprised.”

“Surprised how?”

“Just… surprised. I don’t know. And Juliet and her friends had the same reaction. Like they were shocked I had interest in a girl.”

“That is weird,” Scorpius replied, and Albus felt his warm hands brush his face lightly.

“I guess it’s what I get for being a social recluse since first year.”

“Sorry, it’s because of me.”

“Stop apologising,” Albus said. “Really, stop apologising about that. I don’t like you talking about yourself like that.”

“Sorry.”

“Scorp.”

“S- Okay.”

Albus snorted and sighed. “Sometimes I wish I was like James.”

“How so?”

“More confident.”

Scorpius took a moment before answering. “Well, I like you just the way you are.”

Albus stared up at him. He was smiling down at him and as he brushed his fingers gently across his face again Albus felt his stomach flutter. He didn’t know what it meant but he knew he was happy to stay in this position for as long as possible.”

…

“Two butterbeers please,” Albus requests and receives a nod, leaving the two Slytherins alone. It was warm in the Three Broomsticks, so they were able to take off their mittens and scarfs. The snow had coated both of their which they dusted out, Scorpius having a slightly harder time since his hair was to stark. Albus was able to help him, gently dusting the snow away before it melted. The last thing Scorpius wanted was cold, wet hair. 

The pub wasn’t too busy that night, a few sixth and seventh years were scattered, as were some older witches and wizards. Everyone kept to themselves, but Albus and Scorpius still chose the table furthest from everyone.

“Hey, if I ask for firewhisky do you think I’d get it?” Albus asked with a sly grin.

“But we’re not seventeen yet,” Scorpius protested. 

“You don’t have to drink it,” Albus said. 

“But what if we get into trouble? And we’ve already ordered butterbeer and-“

“I’m just teasing, Scorp.”

“Oh,” he blushed.

“But when we’re seventeen, we’re ordering firewhisky just because we can.” 

“Al!” a familiar voice called. Both boys turned to see James walking over to them. 

“How’d did asking out Juliet go?”

Albus could feel Scorpius’s eyes on him as he looked at his brother. “Oh, she said no.”

“Really?” Albus nodded. “Her loss, since you’re a catch. Right, Scorpius?”

When Albus glanced at Scorpius, he saw he was blushing. “Uh, I guess. I mean, yes. I mean… I think a girl would be lucky to have him, from my point of view.” 

Albus stared at him. Scorpius always rambled when he was nervous but what would he have to be nervous about. 

“I don’t really care,” Albus said, turning back to his brother. “I didn’t like her too much, and she let me down easy. If anything, she – as well as her friends – seemed surprised I asked her out.”

“Did they?” James, for once, didn’t sound surprised. “Maybe it’s because Slytherins aren’t known to date students from other houses. Or spend time with people from other houses.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Albus glared. Before coming to Hogwarts, he would’ve never pictured himself defending the house but after it being such an integral part of his life, it felt like any negative things said about it was an attack on not only him but Scorpius too. 

“Nothing, but you’re not helping stereotypes by only spending time together.” 

“Whatever James,” he snapped and sighed in relief when two butterbeers were being brought to the table. 

“Thank you!” Scorpius said, smiling brightly as the waitress. 

“And Scorpius seems to defy them,” James said when the waitress walked off. 

Albus decided to tune him out and took a sip of his butterbeer.

“You two enjoy yourselves,” James said. “See ya, bud.” And with that, he walked off, finally leaving the two alone.

“Sorry about him,” Albus said. 

“It’s fine,” Scorpius replied. “He kind of makes me wish I had siblings.”

“No, be grateful you don’t,” Albus said shaking his head. 

“Do you think that’s why she said no?” Scorpius asked, looking at his butterbeer. 

“What? About me being in Slytherin?” Scorpius shrugged. “I don’t know; it didn’t seem like it. It seemed like it was something else.”

“Like?”

“Nothing specific, besides you were the one who said she’d turn her nose up at me.”

“I don’t know why I said that,” Scorpius said. “I didn’t even mean it because you’re Slytherin anyway. I meant because she was a Ravenclaw. Some can be kind of snobby.”

“I get what you mean, but really, don’t worry. I wasn’t even upset.”

“Sor-“

“Scorp, we talked about you saying ‘sorry’.”

“Sorry, I can’t help it.”

“You just did it again!” Albus said, but laughed. “And don’t you dare say ‘sorry’ again.”

Scorpius didn’t say anything, he just smiled as they fell into a comfortable silence, sipping their butterbeers. Scorpius gently bumped his knee against Albus’s and Albus sent him a bump back. 

Scorpius took a long gulp of his, getting forth over his top lip. Albus couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. 

“Here,” he said and gently cleaned the froth away with his thumb. 

Scorpius smiled at him, the kind of smile that always made Albus’s heart stop. “Thanks.”

…

“You seriously asked out Juliet!” was how Rose greeted Albus and Scorpius when they sat in Transfiguration. Rose had cooled down towards her cousin and seemed to had mostly accepted his friendship with the Malfoy boy, especially when her parents explained that he was not at all Voldemort’s son.

“Hello to you too, Rose.”

“But… Juliet? A girl. You asked a girl out?” Rose was smart, like her mother. But she looked like she was trying to solve some impossible equation, like there was no connections she could make to come up with an answer.

“Yeah, so?”

“I… I don’t know,” she said. “You never showed interest in girls.”

“How do you know that?”

“Name one,” Rose challenged.

Albus took a moment to think about it. The only name he could put close enough was Delphi but when he thought about it, it never went past admiration before finding out the truth.

“I don’t get your point,” he decided to say. 

Rose looked at him for a moment then her eyes seemed to glance towards Scorpius, who was quiet next to him. 

“You know what, don’t worry about it.” And with that, she laid her notes onto her desk and flipped through them. Albus turned back to Scorpius, who simply shrugged. When class started, Scorpius gave Albus a gentle bump of the knee, and Albus gave him one back.

…

The dorm room was empty, save for Albus and Scorpius. Their roommates were down in Hogsmeade for the night but the pair decided to stay home that night. It was almost time for Christmas holidays and they wanted to spend as much time together as possible. This consisted of being laid together on Albus’s bed, Scorpius resting his head in his lap and Albus playing with his hair.

“How is your hair so white,” Albus commented as he ran his fingers through it. 

“My dad had it, my grandparents had it, it’s called genetics.” Albus couldn’t help but laugh, the way Scorpius explained it wasn’t in a way to be malicious, he seemed to really think Albus needed how he got blond hair to be explained.

“Never mind,” he said. He liked moments like this, where they could just spend some quiet time alone together. Some might find how affectionate they were together odd, but it worked for them, they were comfortable like this. 

“I kind of wish Christmas holidays won’t come,” Scorpius said softly.

“You can go a few days without me,” Albus said with a small smile.

“But I don’t want to.” 

Albus didn’t reply, he just continued to play with Scorpius’s hair, but he could only feel his heart race as they sat there. He felt that feeling in his heart again, the same one when Scorpius gave him that specific smile.

This wasn’t normal. This isn’t something people who were just friends did. He knew that. Scorpius knew that. Maybe that’s why James, Rose, and the Ravenclaw girls were so shocked by Albus’s interest in Juliet. Maybe that’s why Scorpius acted off about it. Maybe…

He shuffled around, so that Scorpius was now resting his head on the bed. He seemed a little fazed but Albus shuffled down so he was laid next to him, their heads side by side. Albus stared at him and Scorpius stared back at him. Green and grey, staring right at each other. Albus bit his lip as his eyes drifted to Scorpius’s lips briefly. He heard Scorpius’s breath hitch in his throat, as if he was waiting for Albus to move, to do something. 

His eyes went back to Scorpius and it all made sense. Why he didn’t have much interest in Juliet, why he didn’t have much interest in any girls, why his heart raced by mere contact with the other boy.

He leaned forward, slowly. He stopped when their lips were barley brushing and he looked at Scorpius, a look that was asking if he could close the gap. But before he could, Scorpius was the one who did. 

Their lips moved gently together. It was soft, slow, and chaste. Albus wasn’t sure how long it lasted but he held onto Scorpius’s hips gently as Scorpius kept his hands on Albus’s chest. 

Everything made sense. Everything was okay.

When they finally moved away, Albus licked his lip, staring at his best friend.

“Well, that’s something we’ve never done before,” he said. 

Scorpius stared back at him. “That a definite.” 

“Want to do it again?”

“Yes.”

They kissed for a while longer, this time Albus climbing on top of Scorpius. It was less innocent this time; gentle tongue was included. It didn’t get too heated since they didn’t want to go too far but what they did was nice. It felt right. 

When they did eventually stop, Scorpius went back to his own bed. Neither wanted their roommates to catch them snogging, so as much as it pained them both, they fell asleep in their own beds.

…

“Are we gonna talk about what happened?” Scorpius asked, his hands stuffed into his pockets, as they walked through the grounds. 

“I guess we should,” Albus agreed. 

“I’ve… I’ve loved you for a while,” is what Scorpius said, only loud enough for Albus to hear.

“Oh,” is all he said.

“I never did anything about it because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”

“I… I realised when I kissed you. But I think I knew in the back of my mind for a while. I guess I just didn’t want to face it.” He sighed, frost disappearing in front of him. 

“But, you like me?”

“I love you too, actually.”

“Oh,” Scorpius replied. “That’s good.”

“I guess I’m just scared of my dad being disappointed in me. I’m already in Slytherin and I don’t think he’s too pleased that we’re friends.”

“I thought he came to terms with both?”

“He says he has but sometimes I feel he hasn’t.” he kicked some snow that had sprinkled onto the footpath. “He once told me he sometimes wishes I wasn’t his son. I don’t think he meant it but maybe he would if I told him about… well whatever this is.”

“Should we be boyfriends?” Scorpius asked. 

“Do you want to?”

“I’m asking you.”

“Well… yeah, I guess I do.”

“I guess I do too.”

“Cool.”

“Cool.”

…

When Christmas holidays came, it hurt more than it usually did. Albus and Scorpius had grown closer with the new level in their relationship. It didn’t seem possible to grow even closer than they were but the romantic feelings definitely made a change. 

They agreed to tell their families over Christmas holidays. Scorpius only had his dad to tell and decided he was fine with his large extended family finding out on their own. But Albus decided to take it in a few steps. James and Lily first, then Rose and Hugo when they came over Christmas eve, then his parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles when they’re all at the Burrow on Christmas day. He couldn’t get it out of his head how disappointed his father would be but he didn’t want to hide this. It was the very last thing he wanted to do. 

Albus and Scorpius, as usual, had their own room on the Hogwarts express and they held hands on the ride, going in and out of conversation like they usually did. That was until the door opened, quickly letting go of the others hand and shuffling away a little, making the distance seem more platonic.

James came in with Lily bouncing on his tail. 

“Finally found you two,” he said. 

“Uh, what do you want?” Albus asked as Scorpius said, “Hi James, hi Lily.”

“I forgot to tell you when we left, and by forgot I mean you disappeared before I could tell you,” he said with an annoyed look. “Mum sent an owl to tell us Mr Malfoy and Scorpius will be coming to our place for Christmas.”

“What?” both boys asked in unison, staring at James. 

Lily nodded. “Yeah, we’re still going to grandma and grandpas, but Mr Malfoy and Scorpius are coming over Christmas eve.”

“Why?” Albus asked.

“Dad and Mr Malfoy want to be better friends since you two are such good friends,” James explained. 

When Albus didn’t say anything, Scorpius said, “That’s nice of them.” 

James shrugged. “It’s just more company, you know mum and dad’s friends sometimes come. Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron and our cousins will come too.”

“That’s kind of a given, ain’t it?” Albus said. 

James shrugged and was about to turn to leave but Albus decided this was the perfect time to tell him.

“James? Lily?” he said and they both stopped to look at him. “Scorp and I… we’re uh… we’re dating.”

His siblings stared at the two for a moment, as he shuffled closer to Scorpius and took his hand. However, they didn’t look fazed by the confession.

“Good for you,” James said.

“I knew it!” Lily grinned excitedly. 

Scorpius blushed as Albus looked at his siblings. “Wait, you knew?”

“She means there’s always been rumours about you two. You’ve always been unusually close.”

“We only kissed a week ago!” Albus protested but James still smiled at the two. 

“See you later Al, and see you at Christmas Scorpius.” And with that, James and Lily left the two alone.

Albus shook his head. “What do we do?”

“Original plan?” Scorpius suggested.

“Weren’t you planning to tell your dad before Christmas? You think your dad won’t confront mine about it when they see each other?”

“Okay, good point,” Scorpius nodded. “We could tell them when me and my dad come over?”

“I don’t know,” Albus said. “Maybe we should tell them separately.”

“But… what if our dads cancel because of it? They could make us stop seeing each other.”

Albus sighed and rubbed his temples. “Which would you rather do?”

“I want you by my side.”

“Okay, then we’ll tell them together.”

…

“I knew it!” Rose grinned, jumping up and down slightly.

“So really?” Hugo asked. “You and the Malfoy kid?” 

“I’m pretty sure most of Hogwarts in under the impression you’re dating, anyway.” Rose laughed. 

“That explains why Juliet was surprised I asked her out,” Albus muttered from his bed. 

“That’s exactly why, you twat,” James said. “I thought you had feelings for Scorpius, that’s why I was so surprised.”

“I came to the conclusion on my own, thanks.”

“So when are you telling mum and dad?” Lily asked.

“Scorpius and I will do it together when he and Mr. Malfoy get here.”

“Really? You don’t think that’ll cause something between dad and Mr. Malfoy?” James asked.

“Well, we decided it was best. It’s better than possibly cancelling the visit. Maybe they’ll be softer if they see us together.”

Rose patted his back. “If Uncle Harry can accept you being sorted into Slytherin – something you can control as much as your sexuality – and being friends with Scorpius when he hated his dad for years, he can and will handle this.”

“If anything, I think mum and dad – especially mum – suspect it,” James said reassuringly. 

“Well if dad goes mental, it’s his issue. Worst comes to worst, he won’t let me and Scorp see each other. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“He wouldn’t do it again,” James said.

“I did say worst comes to worst. At best they’d throw a fucking party.”

“Good mentality,” Rose said with a smile. “And what probably will happen is that they’ll be cool with it and go back to eating.”

“Let’s hope that happens.”

The doorbell interrupted their conversation and Albus felt both relieved and nervous. 

“Kids! The Malfoys are here!” Ginny called upstairs. 

“Go greet your boyfriend,” James said teasingly.

“With pleasure,” Albus said and jogged downstairs. Scorpius and Draco stood at the doorway, wiping snow off their coats. Without thinking, Albus tackled Scorpius into a hug. Scorpius seemed a little thrown off by it but hugged his boyfriend back. Their parents wouldn’t find it suspicious, hugging wasn’t unusual for the pair. 

“Hello, Mr. Malfoy,” Albus said when he stepped away from Scorpius. 

“Good evening, Albus,” Draco replied. 

“Evening, Draco,” came Harry’s voice as he walked into the foyer. 

“Harry,” he nodded.

Harry looked at Albus and Scorpius. “Dinner won’t be ready for a while, so you two can go upstairs.” 

“Okay, dad,” Albus nodded and took Scorpius’s wrist and pulled him upstairs. 

“I told Rose and Hugo,” Albus said when they were out of hearing range of their dads.

“Oh, that’s good,” Scorpius smiled. “How’d they take it?”

“Get here, you!” Rose said at they turned to corner, tackling Scorpius in a hug.

“That answer your question?” Albus asked.

“Yes,” Scorpius said when he caught his breath.

“I’m so proud of you both!” she said when she let Scorpius go. 

“Can you keep your voice down?” Albus hissed. “Everyone downstairs might hear you.”

“Oh, sorry,” Rose said. “I’m just happy for you guys,” 

“Yeah, us too,” Albus said and took Scorpius’s hand in his. 

They walked into Albus’s room, where James, Lily, and Hugo were still sitting. When Hugo saw their hands he stared at them. “So it is true?”

“What, you think he lied?” Rose asked, her hands on her hips. 

“More importantly, why are you all still in my room?” Albus asked.

“What, you want some privacy?” James asked. 

“Actually, yes. Go to your own room or Lily’s.”

James sighed. “Come on guys, looks like we’re not wanted now that his boyfriend’s here.” And the four of them walked out, shutting the door behind them.

Albus rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Scorpius. He took his hips and pulled him into a kiss. “I missed you.”

Scorpius smiled. “I missed you too,” he mumbled. “So, we really doing this?”

“Do you want to keep it from your dad?”

“No, not at all.” 

“So let’s do it. Worst comes to worst we won’t be allowed to see each other anymore.”

“Doubt it, remember how upset my dad was the last time that happened?”

“Point taken. The best that could happen is that they throw a party. What will probably happen is that they’ll just go back to eating.”

“Good mentality.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“Kids! Dinner!” Ginny’s voice called. They looked at each other and nodded. They could do this. 

Hugo and Lily jumped down the stairs, both getting scolded by Hermione and Ginny as they did, while Rose, James were on their tail, and Scorpius and Albus taking their time behind them. At the table, they sat next to each other, James of Albus’s left with Lily next to him, Draco on Scorpius’s right. Rose and Hugo sat right across from the two of them, while the rest of adults sat to Albus and Scorpius’s right, Hermione and Ron with their children and Harry and Ginny next to Draco. Albus could guess this was a situation none of them would picture when they attended Hogwarts. 

While the adults made small talk, James kept nudging Albus while Rose kept nodding towards their parents, all children being mostly silent, obviously waiting in anticipation for the two to come out. Scorpius bumped his knee against Albus’s, figuring it was the best thing to do. They always did it when they were relaxed and comfortable, maybe it would calm both of them down. Albus bumped back and it did relieve some tension but not all of it. 

“You kids are quiet,” Hermione noted, looking at the children.

“Are we?” James asked, taking a sip of his firewhisky. That was the only thing Albus was envious of James at this stage in his life, being able to drink firewhisky. 

“We’re just enjoying the food, mum,” Rose said with a smile. Hermione glanced at Ron who simply shrugged. 

“How’s school been?” Hermione decided to ask.

“Good,” they all said in unison. 

“Anything interesting happen?” Ginny asked. 

“Interesting things happen all the time at Hogwarts,” Rose said, her eyes glancing over to Albus and Scorpius. 

“Okay, kids, is there something you want to tell us?” Harry huffed. “Because you all clearly know something we don’t.”

“What makes you say that, dad?” James asked and Albus could hear the fake innocence in his voice. 

Albus and Scorpius glanced at each other. Now was better than ever. 

“Well, you keep looking at each other, for one thing,” Harry said. 

“Yeah, you lot have been doing that,” Ron nodded. 

“Actually,” Albus cut in. “Yeah, there is something to tell you.”

“Did you get into trouble at school or something?” Ginny asked, giving her a look somewhere between a glare and concern. 

Albus shook his head. “No, it’s… uh…” 

“Albus and I are dating,” Scorpius blurted. 

Everyone at the table goes silent. The children anticipating the adult’s reactions while the adults processed the information. The room was tense and Albus could only hear his own heart racing. 

Finally, Harry broke the silence. He turned to Ron and Hermione. “Could you take the kids upstairs?” The couple slowly nodded as protests came from the four children. “No arguing.” Harry said as Ron and Hermione took the children upstairs. 

Harry took a deep breath as Ginny and Draco were silent. Ginny was looking down at her plate, although her eyes were closed. Draco looked like he was still processing the information.

“How long?” Harry asked.

“Only a week,” Albus said.

“But feelings have been there longer,” Scorpius added. 

“Would you call it love?” Harry asked.

Both boys’ eyes drifted to their laps, but they nodded. There was nothing else to call it. They’d already said it, they loved each other and only each other. 

Harry opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off. “It’s fine.”

Albus and Scorpius’s eyes darted to Draco.

“What?” Scorpius squeaked out. 

“It’s fine,” he said, looking straight at Harry. “Of course it’s fine. You’re our children.”

“Of course it’s fine, Malfoy. I’m just surprised,” Harry said. 

“Is it really that surprising, Potter?” Draco spat back. 

Harry took a moment before answering, Albus’s gaze laying on him. “No, I guess not.”

“Mum?” Albus prompted from Ginny.

“Of course it is okay, dear,” she said. “We just want you to be happy.”

Albus nodded slowly as Scorpius sat still. 

“It’s kind of funny actually,” Ginny said, looking from Harry to Draco. 

“What?” Harry asked, clearly confused.

“Would you have ever guessed your children, much less your sons, would fall for each other?”

Albus and Scorpius knew their dads didn’t like each other at Hogwarts, maybe as far as hated. So yeah, Albus had to admit it was kind of funny they fell in love with each other. Their parents probably didn’t even expect a friendship between the two. 

“Well, can everyone come back downstairs so we can finish dinner?” Albus asked. 

Harry smiled and nodded and the night continued, Albus and Scorpius holding hands the whole time.

…

Albus’s parents always insisted on dropping their kids off at the station and watching them go off as if it were the start of the year. His aunt and uncle always joined too so he at least wasn’t alone in the experience. 

During Christmas break, Albus stuck with his plan to come out at the burrow and was met with nothing but support from his family, many of his cousins stating how they knew it all along. He didn’t let it bother him, he’d take it over rejection any day. 

As he walked along the platform his eyes searched for Scorpius. It wasn’t as crowded as it would be early in the year but he still couldn’t seem to find his boyfriend.

“Relax,” James said from behind him. “He’ll show up, he always does.”

Albus ignored him and continued to scan the crowd. His stark of blond hair was hard to miss yet he couldn’t seem to find him.

That was until a pair of arms attacked him from behind, wrapping themselves around Albus’s waist. He turned his head to see Scorpius’s grinning face.

“Hi,” he said.

Albus smiled at him. “Hi,” he said and kissed him quickly. Proper kisses could wait for when his parents weren’t watching. 

“Careful, Scorpius,” Draco said making his way through the crowd. “I almost lost sight of you.” 

“Sorry dad,” he replied, looking at his dad while resting his chin on Albus’s shoulder. 

“Young love,” Hermione said, rolling her eyes with a smile. 

“Exactly where we started,” Ron mumbled to his wife, receiving a smile from her. 

“You better yet on the train,” Harry said looking at the clock. “Train’s going to leave soon.”

Their children nodded and boarded the train. As usual, Albus and Scorpius found their own room and cuddled together as the train took off.

“So, how do we come out to our classmates?” Scorpius asked.

“Tell the other Slytherins and let it spread, I guess.”

“Will you hold my hand around school?”

Albus smiled and kissed Scorpius’s head. “If you wanna.”

Scorpius smiled and nuzzled into his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

On the train platform, Harry watched it take off, his hair blowing in the wind that came from it.

“So, how much longer do you think it will be until the wedding?” he asked, turning to Draco. 

Draco rolled his eyes. “Knowing those two, might be right after Hogwarts.” 

“Can’t wait to be in-laws,” Harry replied, not keeping the snark out of his tone. 

Draco smiled to Harry’s surprise. “Who would’ve guessed our kids would fall for each other?”

“I don’t know, but I’m glad they did.”


End file.
